To my own mothers--Barbara Clinkscales & Delia Cruceru--and the most amazing woman and mother our children could ever hope to have--Rebeca Clinkscales--I say a heartfelt Happy Mother's Day. I am so blessed to have each of you in my life and, in numerous and newly discovered ways, your value grows with the passage of time.

In preparation for my first (ever?) Mother's Day sermon, I have struggled with the best way to both honor all of our mothers while keeping the focus of our Sunday worship where it belongs: on Jesus. In the process I learned something I didn't intend to, & share it here.

We--at least we who believe in the One, eternally existent God who was creating from (and at) the beginning--know that the chicken came before the egg, the personal injuries came before the affixed product warning labels, and mothers came long before a day was specifically chosen to honor them. From the ancient Romans to 16th Century Britain to today, we have sought the best way to honor the women who birthed, and gave so much of their lives for, us. In Romania, Mother's Day is always on March 8th, and might also be called International Women's Day for many of our European brothers and sisters. Mother's Day in America is always the second Sunday in May. But what I learned that was new to me is that the woman in America credited with starting Mother's Day as a national holiday later was quite zealous for it's destruction.

No good deed goes unpunished, and the same is true for Mother's Day.

Anna Jarvis--credited as the founder of America's modern Mother's Day--fought for a day to be nationally accepted as a public, yearly celebration of mothers. Far from the commercially lucrative money maker the holiday is now, her passion was "to memorialize her mother by working to promote a day that would honor all mothers." Much to her chagrin, the idea took off and, before she knew it, her sentiments for her beloved mother had turned into a cash cow for florists and greeting card distributors. She was not pleased by the outcome of her hopeful pleas. She remarked:

Mother's Day is “to be a day of sentiment, not profit.”

Those profiting from the day were “charlatans, bandits, pirates, racketeers, kidnappers and termites that would undermine with their greed one of the finest, noblest and truest movements and celebrations.”

“A maudlin, insincere printed card or ready-made telegram means nothing except that you’re too lazy to write to the woman who has done more for you than anyone else in the world.” She also said, “Any mother would rather have a line of the worst scribble from her son or daughter than any fancy greeting card.”

Today in America, mothers all over this great country are going to be honored with various gifts, cards, and loving words from their family and friends, and I can't help but think of the times when my own words to my Mom or my Bride have rung hollow in light of an earlier fight or the harsh things I've said or done. This Mother's Day I focus, instead, on how grateful I am to you all for graciously teaching me the blessings and the dangers of being vulnerable. I have hurt you, I have wronged you, I have failed to be the kind of man and son that you each deserve. I am sorry for that, even as I am so thankful to have learned at your feet.

But this story is incomplete without your input. What about you? In what way has your mother helped to shape your character and led you to be better than you once were?

Tracey, I'm sorry I haven't replied to you before now, but this is David, Jerry's youngest son. I gathered from your comment that my Dad likely forwarded the link to some people and that's how you got it. Anyway, thank you for the compliment, and you can trust that your work will be appreciated in time and repeatedly from those who take the time to see all you've done!

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I write to remember the lessons I learn as a Man, Husband, Father, Son, Brother, Pastor, and Friend. As I come to grips with the blackness within me, I am more appreciative of God's grace-filled grip. We all change in the seasons of life. This is my deep well...